Prepared Remarks of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales at
Press Availability Following a Meeting of Central American Attorneys General

Cuernavaca, MexicoJune 8, 2007

Good afternoon.

I would like to thank Mexico Attorney General Medina Mora for hosting this
Summit, and all of the Attorneys General in attendance. I believe we have had
very frank and productive discussions on some matters of great importance to
all of our countries.

Protecting the safety of our citizens is perhaps the central mission of any
government. Without basic safety and security, we cannot be free to enjoy the
many blessings of liberty, democracy, and economic opportunity.

President Bush and I recognize that the safety and security of many Central
American nations is threatened by transnational narco-traffickers, violent
gangs and other threats. The United States faces these threats as well, and
we're working hard to fight them.

That’s why, as part of the follow up to his recent trip to Guatemala and other
Latin American nations, President Bush is committed to collaborating on the
development of a regional security and law enforcement strategy. At the
Campeche Summit in April, El Salvador offered to initiate the work on such a
regional strategy. And I believe all these efforts have been advanced by the
success of this Summit.

Let me offer one example: In the United States, we have set up special national
anti-gang task forces and a gang intelligence center to help us combat gang
violence. Because we recognize that this is not a problem that stops at our
borders, the United States has developed a comprehensive strategy to help
combat the threat from transnational gangs. And we have launched partnerships
with our neighbor countries to enhance law enforcement, crime prevention, and
international coordination and training in the region.

Earlier this week we saw the kind of success this cooperation brings when a
federal grand jury in the United States charged three leaders of the
international gang La Mara Salvatrucha, or "MS-13," with a series of violent
crimes. Cooperation between U.S. law enforcement agencies and the Civilian
National Police of El Salvador was crucial to the success of this effort.

This indictment was supported by a far-reaching set of anti-gang initiatives
that I announced while in El Salvador in February of this year. These
initiatives involve unprecedented partnerships at the local, state, federal and
international level.

Our record of regional cooperation also includes a successful summit on
transnational gangs held in Los Angeles involving the Chiefs of Police for El
Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize. And the United States has been
providing training for police and prosecutors from the region – in fact, the
4th such anti-gang training is underway at the International Law Enforcement
Academy in Central America this week.

Each of these steps is a testament to the commitment of the United States to
join with its neighbors to face the problems of violent transnational crime and
gangs in a collaborative and comprehensive manner. I commend my colleagues in
law enforcement for their commitment to the fight against gangs and other
violence, and for their courage in recognizing and addressing these problems.

The United States stands with all of our neighbors in our joined fight against
violent gangs. We recognize that this is not just an issue for one or two
countries; it affects the entire region, and so we must work together
regionally. For all of our citizens, we must win this fight--and I believe
that working together, as friends and partners, we will.